How Drought Conditions Impact Your Health

Nearly two-thirds of the United States is drought-stricken, and scientists are comparing the heat and lack of rain with the 1930s Dust Bowl (left). During that historic health and environmental crisis, land and lives were devastated from the Midwest to the Atlantic Ocean by repeated, rolling dust clouds.

In the current drought, while crops throughout the nation's farm belt wither — driving up world food prices and making food less available — parched land and low water levels present other health hazards. Drought impacts economies, as well, as chronicled by John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.

Read on to find out how this year's drought could impact your health.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

Drought and Air Quality

When rainfall is scarce, airborne dust, pollen, and contaminants — such as fluorocarbons and even animal feces from livestock — remain in the air longer. This not only exacerbates allergies and irritates eyes and ears, it worsens symptoms in people with chronic respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and COPD. Smoke from drought-induced wildfires further increases problems, including the risk of developing bronchitis and pneumonia. Drought conditions increase the amount of airborne Coccidioides immitis fungus, which causes Valley Fever, a potentially fatal respiratory infection. Found mostly in the Southwest and California, the fungus lodges in the lungs after a person breathes in spore-saturated dust.

Drought and Hygiene

Water conservation is clearly a high priority in drought-stricken areas. The flip side is, when people make an effort to save water, hygienic practices like hand-washing and dish-washing suffer, which can increase the spread of germs. Bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella, and viruses like the rotavirus and norovirus, lead to nasty health consequences like nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and respiratory problems.

Decreased hand- and dish-washing increases person-to-person spread of bacteria and viruses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminds people that "conservation efforts should not get in the way of proper sanitation and hygiene." To ensure hands are properly disinfected, those with limited water can supplement washing with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The New Mexico Department of Health recommends soaking dishes for five minutes in a bleach-and-water solution to kill foodborne disease-causing bacteria.

Drought and Critical Care

Because water is crucial to power generation — from hydroelectric dams to cooling of nuclear- and fossil fuel-powered plants — heat and drought are key concerns for hospitals, senior care facilities, and clinics that require a constant supply of power to keep patients healthy. What's more, hospitals simply use a lot of water — for drinking, sanitation, equipment sterilization, and other essential functions.

In July, the Braidwood nuclear plant in Illinois had to seek special permission to keep operating because the water used to cool its reactors had reached 102 degrees, two degrees above the plant's upper allowable limit. Nuclear meltdown is unlikely, but if plants go offline, the lower energy production can lead to problems with air conditioning and smooth running of technological equipment needed to deliver the highest standard of health care.

Drought and Mosquito-Borne Illness

It may seem like common sense to think this summer's drought means fewer mosquitoes, as they typically breed in wet conditions. But throughout the country, record high temperatures are providing ideal conditions for mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus. What water there is in parched areas is generally standing water in low-lying areas or in storm drains, which is exactly where the Culex pipiens mosquito that carries the virus likes to breed. Forty-two states have so far reported human, bird, and mosquito cases of West Nile, and cases have been found as far north as Ontario. Four people have died. The best way to protect yourself against West Nile is to wear insect repellent, and avoid going outside at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active, says the CDC.

Drought and Wildfires

This summer, devastating wildfires in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and elsewhere have scorched tens of thousands of acres. In addition to personal injury, death, and the destruction of hundreds of homes, smoke from these vast blazes is dangerous not only to asthmatics and others with respiratory problems. Wildfire smoke contains gases such as carbon dioxide and small particles from burnt trees and other plants. The smoke can lead to lung and sinus problems and headaches, as well as chest pain and rapid heartbeat in people with heart disease. Those with congestive heart failure, angina, COPD, and emphysema may also experience shortness of breath and bouts of severe coughing. Smoke irritates the eyes and reduces visibility, creating hazards to drivers and airline pilots.

Drought and Injury

Filling swimming pools has been banned in several drought-hit areas this summer, including large cities like Indianapolis. While many will head to lakes and rivers instead, the drought has created increased dangers there, too. Warm, stagnant water in lakes, ponds, and even rivers can result in increased pollutant levels and lower levels of oxygen, contributing to higher concentrations of illness-causing bacteria and protozoa, as well as toxic blue-green algae blooms. An Oklahoma boy died from a rare disease after being infected by an amoeba at the end of July while swimming in the state's Red River. In Canada, experts worry about the health quality of recreational waters in seasonal "cottage country."

Lower water levels are dangerous in another way: They create an increased risk of head- and spinal-cord injuries from diving into shallow or more shallow water than divers expect. Boating accidents are a problem around sand bars and other debris that in normal conditions are submerged.

Drought and Mental Health

Drought can cause stress, anxiety, and depression. The financial impact of drought can be devastating, especially to farmers and other workers who earn their living off the land. What's more, stress and anxiety from drought is different than that from other natural disasters. "[Drought] anxiety builds over time and becomes chronic, making it less noticeable to ourselves and those around us," warns the Missouri Department of Public Health. Drought-driven stress and depression can lead to higher rates of suicide in rural communities, says the CDC.

Drought and Heat Stress

In addition to the lack of rainfall, it's been darned hot outside this summer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that July was the hottest month ever on record for the nation. As of mid-July, St. Louis authorities had recorded 23 heat-related deaths this year; and in Maryland the total was 31 deaths through the end of July. The young and the elderly are at greatest risk of heat stress, including heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Older people are particularly affected because their bodies do not adjust as well to changes in temperature, and they're more likely to take medication that interferes with the body's temperature regulation system. Symptoms of heat stress include hot, red, dry skin; rapid pulse; dizziness; muscle cramps; nausea; and fainting.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about
your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of
interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make
choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here.